Chapter 332: Recommendation
The presence of Snape, the Rank Three knight, exerted significant pressure on Sein.
It was not an intentional act but rather a natural consequence of Snape’s formidable strength and life level, affecting those around him of lower life level.
Having recently participated in an interplanar war and frequently interacting with Rank Three grand mages, including the deans at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Sein was no stranger to entities of Snape’s caliber.
Yet, comparing all the Rank Three entities he had encountered, only his Master Andres and Master Holfson, the fifth and sixth apprentices of Grandmaster Feylis, stood on par with Snape.
There were distinctions between Rank Three entities, particularly as they ascended to Rank Four, where they were regarded as “gods” by the lesser beings in the Astral Realm. This transition marked a significant evolutionary milestone.
Snape, akin to Master Andres and Master Holfson, had reached a level of prowess not yet achieved by ordinary Rank Three beings.
People like them were referred to as the peak of Rank Three entities.
“Sir Snape is also the master of the branch hall in the order of the knights in the Ohrque Empire,” Julius elaborated, offering Sein deeper insight into the man’s background.
This positioned him on par with the esteemed deans of the divine tower academies.
That would explain why Snape mentioned his dealings with Dean Empyrean of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring upon meeting Sein.
Geographically, the Ohrque Empire was still within the recruitment area of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, albeit situated at the edge of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s sphere of influence.
Consequently, it was actually a lot further away from the divine tower compared to the Lysian Alliance.
Sein seldom encountered magic initiates from the Ohrque Empire in the academy. In fact, there was only a handful of magic initiates from the Lysian Alliance.
Most of the magic initiates from the Ohrque Empire and Lysian Alliance were actually absorbed by smaller mage councils or magic families.
Those regions remained beyond the current reach of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s influence, yet it was anticipated that the divine tower’s aspirations for growth and development would necessitate an eventual expansion into recruiting magic initiates and mages from these border areas.
Such expansion could even lead to crossing established boundaries in the future.
Sein’s prior engagement with Dean Empyrean, especially post-war, fostered a smooth initial conversation with Snape.
Snape was probably aware of Sein’s unique position as the only apprentice to the Tower Master of Verdant Spring.
Without this knowledge, a distinguished peak Rank Three knight like him would unlikely take the time to converse with a Rank One mage.
“Before coming to the Lysian Alliance, His Majesty the Emperor informed me that the Ohrque Empire plans to send several outstanding magic initiates from the royal academy to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring for advanced studies,” Knight Snape shared.
“Enrollment matters for the divine tower usually fall under Dean Archimedes’ purview. As a mage from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, I wholeheartedly welcome fresh talent from the Ohrque Empire,” Sein responded with a smile.
Amidst their conversation, a distinguished gray-haired elder approached and asked, “Do we have any promising young nobles in the Lysian Alliance who might pursue studies at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring?”
The old man was among the most esteemed guests of this banquet. Although he was only a Rank Two knight, he hailed from the sole ducal family in the Lysian Alliance.
Despite the recent gradual shift in power from the ducal to the marquis families within the Lysian Alliance, the old man’s presence still commanded respect.
To a certain extent, the Grand Duke still represented the collective nobility of the Lysian Alliance.
In this instance, the Rank Two knight was not merely advocating for personal gain but rather representing the broader interests of the entire Lysian Alliance.
The question momentarily shifted Sein’s focus away from Snape.
Sein turned to look at the old man, then formally replied, “The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring always welcomes initiates from any region within its sphere of influence, provided they meet the entry requirements, including initial mental focus level among other criteria, and agree to sign the enrollment magic contract.”
This well-crafted response left no room for criticism. The knights in attendance were reasonable individuals. Their presence at House Grantt’s banquet indicated a level of respect toward the Grant family.
The elder, visibly pleased, announced, “My grandson refuses to become a knight, but he possesses remarkable initial mental focus. I guess I’ll be sending him to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring then!”
Upon reaching Rank One, knights could gain access to various techniques involving mental focus.
Some ranked knights playfully imitated mages by conjuring small fireballs through leveraging their significant mental focus.
In the Magus World, there existed a unique hybrid profession known as “magiknight”. They were people who wielded both the battle qi of knights and the elemental power of mages.
Sein, however, had not personally met any magiknights nor heard of their presence in nearby regions. His knowledge of this was limited to books in the library.
Sein’s conversation with Snape revolved around the divine tower and order of the knights, rather than personal talks.
Their conversation eventually concluded with an exchange of contact details.
Sein offered his crystal ball mark, while Snape took out a peculiar badge.
The badge bore a resemblance to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s own badge, though it appeared simpler and more crude in design.
Its functionality for long-distance communication was likely enhanced due to Snape’s role as the master of a branch hall.
Despite its unassuming appearance, the badge’s reach surpassed that of Sein’s crystal ball.
After verifying that his crystal ball could communicate with Snape’s badge, Sein took his leave.
Guided by his great-grandfather, Julius, he proceeded to meet and acquaint himself with other ranked knights present at the gathering.
Although interacting with over two hundred attendees might seem daunting, brief exchanges with each only took up half a day.
The banquet had been in full swing for two days and two nights by the time of Sein’s arrival.
Ranked knights possessed stamina surpassing that of mages, capable of enduring more than ten days without sleep.